Restaurant Review: Aliotti's Victorian Corner Restaurant in Pacific Grove, CA

Pacific Grove, California is located on the Monterey peninsula by Asilomar Beach just north of Carmel and south of Monterey. This idyllic seaside town is one of the most popular locations for tourists visiting the Monterey Bay area. With narrow side streets lined with quirky tiny, brightly colored beach cottages, and funky shops and restaurants, Pacific Grove's downtown is worth a side trip off the main drive along the coast on Ocean View Blvd.

Pacific Grove has a unique blend of Victorian ambience and coastal flavor. Many of the homes and buildings in the immediate downtown were built in the late 1800s, early 1900s, with the first permanent house built on land owned by David Jacks and lived in by Rev. Ross in 1874. In 1875, a "group of Methodist men, mostly ministers, meet in San Francisco and found the Pacific Grove Retreat Association to set up a Christian Seaside Resort and Camp Meeting ground for members and friends of the Methodist-Episcopal Church," according to the Pacific Grove Heritage Society. From that time on, the quaint seaside village has morphed into what is now a modern Pacific Grove with a richly preserved heritage.

One of the local favorite places to eat is the Victorian Corner Restaurant owned for many decades by the Aliotti family in a Victorian building from 1893. When you explore a new town, one of the best ways to get to know an area is to go where the locals go. Aliotti's Victorian Corner Restaurant is one of those places. Since 1977, two generations of the Aliotti family have served three meals a day from this cozy corner establishment. The café is especially well regarded for serving delicious breakfasts, however, I never seem to make it over there until afternoon. The drive to Pacific Grove from the San Francisco Bay Area is about an hour and a half and well worth it for one of the best bowls of clam chowder on the West Coast.

On my latest summer visit to Pacific Grove, I made the usual stop over for lunch at the Victorian. I always hope to miss the crowd as I like to sit either in one of the cozy front window nooks, or over by the open, screen-less windows where salty ocean breezes blow in on cool summer days.

This visit I ordered a "Rueben on Rye' with a side salad and fries, accompanied by a cup of chowder. One of the simple things I like about this café is the portion size. When my Rueben was served, it came on a plate with a handful of fries, and a small salad on the same plate-much like mom would serve at home.The portions are generous without being over the top.

The Rueben is filled with spicy, salty slices of pastrami with melted Swiss cheese oozing out the sides. It is especially delicious with a little side smear of whole grain mustard. My salad dressing choice was blue cheese. It is always served tossed (unless you request dressing on the side) and has a rich tangy blue cheese flavor coated evenly without drenching the variety of salad greens. My favorite part of the meal, though, is the creamy clam chowder.

There is something special about the Aliotti chowder recipe. I have tried unsuccessfully to recreate it at home. This time I thought I would ask how they made it. To my surprise, I was told the head chef Paul Douglas (of 27 years) just throws stuff together in the pot. He has a recipe..somewhere, but doesn't even need to look at it. Their secret recipe is still a secret.

Aliotti's Victorian Corner Restaurant is a true home-style café run by a family dedicated to the Pacific Grove Community. Domenic and Mary Aliotti are co-owners with Aliotti's parents Paul and Sandy Aliotti. Paul Aliotti still works in the mornings opening up, to greet the local breakfast crowd with a delightful old-country Italian flair. These days he and his wife Sandy spend most of their time enjoying a much-deserved retirement, while the restaurant is in the capable hands of their son Domenic and his wife Mary. In a recent interview with Mary, I asked her how many days a week they work. To my surprise, she told me that she is there six days a week, and her husband, seven. The only day Domenic takes off is Christmas (and they never take a vacation).

Mary informed me that "they appreciate the loyalty of the Pacific Grove community, and Domenic knows "people like routine, and he wants to make sure no one has to break their routine," according to Mary, so they are always there. The couples ten-year old son, and seven-year old daughter spend much of their time with mom and dad in the restaurant, learning the trade. It is the Aliottis' hope that someday one of them will be the third generation to run the café.

For all of the grateful and loyal patrons of Aliotti's Victorian Corner Restaurant I can speak with assurance that we all hope for the same. If you plan a visit to Pacific Grove, I give Aliotti's Victorian Corner Restaurant five stars for being a true hometown café and a "must see" when in the area.

Located at: 541 Lighthouse Ave ◊ Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Phone 831.372.4641 ◊ Fax 831.372.4641

Aliotti's Victorian Corner Restaurant HOURS:
Breakfast daily: 7:30 am to 12 Noon
Lunch daily: 11 am to 3 pm
Dinner, Mon-Thurs: 5 pm to 9 pm
Dinner, Fri & Sat: 5 pm to 10 pm

Group Dining: We can accommodate parties and banquets up to a maximum of 15 people.
Takeout is available.

Sources:

http://www.victoriancornerpg.com/

http://www.pacificgroveheritage.org/pacific_grove_history.html

Phone interview 09-28-2019 with Mary Aliotti